Mediation of effector functions by antibodies: report of a workshop.

Abstract On 25–27 October 1978 a workshop on the subject “Mediation of Effector Functions by Antibodies” was held in Bethesda, MD, U.S.A. The conference was organized by Henry Metzger, William Paul and David Segal in order to bring together workers from diverse disciplines whose work contributes to an understanding of two principal problems: (1) the role of various parts of antibody molecules in interactions with effector systems such as complement and Fc-receptor bearing cells and (2) the molecular mechanism by which antigens promote antibody-effector system interaction. What follows is a summary of the proceedings prepared by the undersigned. The purpose of the summary is to give an overall view of the spirit of the meeting and the direction in which this field is moving.